Trump Admits Defeat To Biden, In Tweet Claiming Election Was Rigged (UPDATE)

U.S. President Donald Trump admitted that President-elect Joe Biden won the Nov. 3 election.

What Happened: Trump tweeted Sunday morning that Biden "won because the Election was Rigged." It has been more than a week since all the major U.S. media outlets projected victory for the former vice president.

He later walked back his statement, saying in another tweet: "He only won in the eyes of the FAKE NEWS MEDIA. I concede NOTHING!"

Why It's Important: In defiance of tradition, Trump had all week refused to acknowledge his loss as his team mounted a series of legal challenges that were quickly shot down by judges and election officials. An agency within the Department of Homeland Security that monitors election security in a statement on Thursday said, "There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised."

What's Next: Trump's refusal to concede thus far has stymied the transition, to the alarm of former security officials concerned that this will leave the next administration scrambling in its first days, even as a pandemic rages. The Trump campaign has continued to pursue legal challenges and vowed to fight.

Photo by Gage Skidmore on Flickr